The Lakeshore Strangler
by GeeLRay
Summary: What makes the infamous Lakeshore Strangler tick? See his life, love and losses through his perspective, in an attempt to understand the world renowned killer
1. Chapter 1

July 23rd, 1956

All I remember was, it was fucking hot. I was just a little kid, and my Uncle Bill lived here in Chicago, and in the summers I'd travel with my folks to come visit. I was about eight, and I remember not liking to come here because there was absolutely nothing to do other than go down to the pond, find a fish, and stomp it's brains out. Uncle Bill lived in what was called a 'half-decent' part of town, you can say. It was one of those old war time houses that hardly held themselves together, but it was still nicer than ours back in New Jersey.

"You look bored as dust, boy" Uncle Bill said to me while we were all in his den. He was pre-occupied with the paper from three days prior. "Well, there isn't much to do in this room" was all I said back, and what I would always say. Uncle Bill would look over his glasses and smirk "Well, there is nothing keeping you here, Chuck. Go on outside and see if there is something better there." Thank Christ, that was my ticket out the door. I started to get up and Uncle Bill would laugh "My God, I can't believe how big that boy has gotten since last summer." My mother sighed, like she always did and answered coldly "Don't remind me." Ma was a short woman, barely 4 feet tall, and she fucking hated it. I ignored her, like I always did and headed for the door but was interrupted by the all too familiar tug on my shirt. "Charles" I looked down to that bitch's glaring eyes. "Yes m'am?" She would always just stare at me with disgust for a good minute before saying whatever it is she had to say. "Be back here by 4:30 none the later. Got that?" I shook her glare away "Yes m'am". I ran out the door to find my father still trying to fix the same damn car problem we'd been having since we got to Uncle Bill's. Dad got out from under the car and looked up at me, that same crooked smile. "Where you headed to, Chucky?"

I kicked my feet in the dirt. "Nowhere, I guess. Maybe the pond." Dad rolled himself from under the car completely and wiped the sweat that was dripping off his face. "You be back by the time mother told you." I agreed and began my trek to the familiar swamp in which I spent my childhood.  
>I don't know what it was, but I kind of felt excited everytime I looked down in the water and saw it filled with swimming fish. Sometimes I remember closing my eyes and imagining them all belly-up and dead at the fault of my feet. I stuck my hand in the water and grabbed a fish by it's fin, and just watched it flap around and gasp between my fingers in pure admiration. I placed it on the ground carefully, as if the ground were a skillet, and watched the fish steam from the hot pavement. Whenever I ended the life of anything, my heart always began to race and this euphoric feeling would take over me. I closed my eyes and stomped my feet, I laughed at the feeling of death underneath my sneakers. The whole process was addicting, and I did it over and over again. I remember hearing a shuffle in the grass, and my eyes widened. What time was it? Is it mother? I grabbed the largest rock I could find, just in case it was. The noise got louder and louder, the footsteps closer and closer, until there she was...but it wasn't mother, it was a little kid.<p>

"What are you doing?" The kid asked. She looked no older than 5 years old, but she looked at me in a way like I was the best fucking thing she's ever seen. "Just don't worry about it, kid. Go back to wherever you came from." I turned around and went back to the pond just waiting for the kid to get off my back. She came up closer to me and shook her head. "I don't wanna go anywhere, I'm happy right where I am. Besides, my house is just over there." She pointed to the smallest house I had ever seen, even smaller than the one back home. "That's no house, that's a shack!" I retorted at her, thinking she may think I was mean and just leave me alone. "Momma always said big things come in small packages." She crouched down and started using her fingers to play in the water. She looked back up at me. "My name is Tiffany. What's yours?" For the first time since she came here, I really looked at Tiffany. She was a pleasant looking kid, I guess. She had really dark curly hair, and the palest skin I'd ever seen. She was a little dirty, but still nice to look at despite the heavy dark ring under her left eye. "Call me Chucky." Was all I could say back, I realized I still had the rock in my hand, and threw it in the pond. We looked at each other for a few minutes. I remember not really knowing what to think. Our stare was disrupted by a shout as loud and heavy as thunder "Tiffany! Get the fuck over here!" Tiffany quickly turned around, "That's Daddy" she said quickly "I gotta go. When do I see you again." I don't know why, but I was kind of disappointed to see her go. "I'm here a lot." I responded while scratching my head. She smiled the prettiest smile I've ever seen on a girl before. "Okay, I'll see you later, Chucky!"

I watched Tiffany run to the dark shadow standing on the porch of her tiny home. I couldn't help but feel like I knew what caused the dark ring under her eye. I looked up to the sun and saw that it looked about 4o'clock. I started my journey back, thinking of Tiffany's smile to try and override the thoughts of the potential hell that waited for me at home


	2. Chapter 2

August 14th, 1961

I hated this day the most out of every summer I ever spent here in Chicago. The day where Uncle Bill shook my hand, gave me five dollars, and wished me farewell and "See ya next summer, sport." To be honest, I didn't give much of a shit about leaving Uncle Bill. Because he was right. He would be exactly where we fucking left him next summer. Sitting in his chair reading old news. I hated leaving Tiffany, because the feeling I would get every day until the following June ate me alive. It was like leaving the other part of me. I tried to smile at Uncle Bill and thanked him for the five dollars, that was enough to buy all the dirty magazines my thirteen year old self could ever want. I of course, never told him that though.

Mother came out of the house and thanked my Uncle Bill for his hospitality. Uncle Bill then crouched over, whispered something in my mother's ear and handed her a piece of paper. Mother smiled, and winked back. God, I fucking hated that woman and I knew she hated me back. We had a mutual respect for the fact we didn't like each other. I looked at my watch and noticed it was about the time where Tiffany would escape her house and run up to meet me at our usual spot. I noticed my father sweating and breathing heavily as he tried to carry the rest of our luggage down the stairs of the porch, and into the trunk of our shitty car. I ran to the car and opened the trunk for my father. He winked at me. "Thanks, Chucky. Now did you say your goodbyes to-" I nodded and cut him off. "Let me go to the pond, Pa." My father wiped the sweat off his forehead, and was breathing heavily for a minute before finally saying something. "What is it with you and that place?" I nudged his comment off. "I would just really like to look at it one more time before next year. Please just for five minutes." My father then started into one of his violent coughing fits, and just nodded at me and pointed his hand at the direction of the pond. My queue to leave. I started for the pond until I heard that familiar husky bark. "Just where do you think you're going? Do you not see we're leaving?" I turned to face my mother's cold eyes. "Pa said I could leave, ma'am. Just for a minute. hardly notice I'm gone." Ma kind of smirked. "Oh Charles, I don't think I'm that lucky." My pupils fucking dilated, and I wanted nothing more than to wrap my hands around that long neck of hers. Uncle Bill came up behind her "Let him go, Marsha. He's fine." I turned around again and ran for the pond without giving my mother the satisfaction of an answer.

I felt at peace for one last time before being forced to leave. The pond was always absolutely silent, until I heard her. "You're late" she touched my shoulder and I turned around and saw her. She looked great despite all of her bumps and bruises. I always managed to see past them, if I didn't I would just be tempted to kill her asshole father for putting them there. "Yeah, sorry. Things are kind of busy. We're getting ready to leave today. I came to say goodbye." Tiffany looked down at the ground. "Why can't you just stay here in Chicago? It's just as good as New Jersey. Or even just you. We could run away and just live together. You and me, nobody else." Tiffany sat down on a rock, pulled her knees to her chest, and buried her face. "I wish it could be like that, Tiff. One day it will. I promise. You can leave your house and I'll leave mine, and we'll always have each other. But until then, it's only for the next few months, then I'll be back." Tiffany moved her face and smiled at me. God I hated seeing her so beaten up. "Promise me something, Tiff?" She just nodded her head. "The next time your old man hits you, hit him back. I mean it." Tiffany looked confused. "Chucky, that would never work. He's so much bigger than me, it wouldn't hurt him." Then the most defining thought of my entire life came to mind. "Then use a knife." Tiffany got up off the rock and looked at me. She laughed nervously before saying "That's crazy talk, Chucky." Only I wasn't fucking kidding. "He would leave you alone though, Tiffany." I looked at my watch and realized how much time has passed. "Damn, I gotta go Tiff. I will come back for you, I promise." I started to run back home, but could hear Tiffany calling out in the distance. "I'll be waiting, I'll always wait for you!"

I finally got back home, but noticed nobody was in front anymore. I started panicking because I thought more time went by than I had anticipated, and knew I'd get a beating from mother once I went in the house. Regardless, I started making my way up the steps and into the front door. I was greeted by Uncle Bill, who just looked at me and wept. "What's going on?" Uncle Bill rubbed his face and pointed me outside. Maybe it was the change in air, but the air felt heavy all of sudden as soon as I filled my lungs. We sat on the porch for a good minute before Uncle Bill opened his mouth. "It's your Pa, Chucky. He had a heart attack just moments after you left. He didn't make it Chucky, I'm so sorry. It's better you didn't see him like that, remember him how you knew your old man. You and your mother will be staying here for as long as you need to. I'm so sorry, Chucky. You were his pride and joy." Uncle Bill put his hand on my shoulder, and walked up the porch steps back into the house. I couldn't even think, more importantly, I couldn't even feel. I liked my father, sure. I just didn't know how to react to him being gone. I knew what this meant, it would just be me and that old bitch from here on out.

I went in the house and saw my mother just sitting in the chair looking through the window. "Ma?" She looked over at me. "You" was all she managed to say before bolting over and attempting to pin me to a wall. "It should have been you, you little shit! It should have been you! You took him from me! From the minute you were born you were all he fucking cared about! I wanted you dead! You were a mistake!" I pushed my mother off of me and pinned her to the ground. "Well then maybe you should have done something about it!" was all I could manage to mouth. If it wasn't for Uncle Bill running in the room to see what was all going on, I would have never let that bitch go. From that moment forward, all I really could ever think about was all the regret I had for not ending her there.


	3. Chapter 3

March 21st, 1964

A few short days after my 15th birthday, Mom and I moved in with Uncle Bill. The woman refused to work, and we just weren't able to support ourselves anymore. I felt a strange kind of freedom after Dad died, I had nobody to pressure me to go to school or get a job because that was his duty and Mom didn't really give a shit about much anymore. So I just never gave a fuck about anything and did whatever I pleased, and my one rule to life was to just never take anybody's shit. I always had a temper, and whenever it flared I just had visions of ending the person's life with my hands, watch them struggle. I always laughed in the end, because well, it was funny as hell. Johnny Mathis, he was the biggest cocksucker around my school, everyday he would wait for school to end to try and torment me on my way home. One day, I just had enough of his shit and I always really wanted to know what it really felt like under my palms to feel a pulse stop beating through a neck. I was close, I had Johnny pinned on the ground, my hands wrapped tight around his scrawny neck, and a big smile on my face. His face was turning blue, and I could tell his end was near. Miss Summers saw us, and ran over and tried to rip me off of the fucker, but she wasn't strong enough. Mr. Bradley, the principal, ran out and successfully ended it. Johnny Mathis called me a "fucking psycho" and I was expelled. All Mom said was "Good one, Charles. Now I'm stuck looking at you all day." Now, we were in Uncle Bill's car driving to his small house on 47 Lakeshore Road.

I really didn't mind it, if I have to be honest. I told Tiffany in my last letter I'd be coming back, and this time staying for good. I could see the tear stains in her letter back. She was ecstatic, her father left and it was just her, her Mother and sisters. This made me happy, and I had to admit, when I was trying to kill off Johnny Mathis, I fantasized it was Tiffany's piece of shit father. We finally got to Uncle Bill's house, and the entire way upstairs inside the house, Uncle Bill just kept giving me this sympathetic smile. When we got to the tiny bedroom that I would sleep in every summer, Uncle Bill put his hand on my shoulder. "I put some stuff in here that belonged to your father when he was about your age. Thought you might like it" I think what Uncle Bill forgot, is that my Old Man was my age in the late 1930s. I just nodded and thanked him anyway. "Well I'll leave you to it, Chucky. One more thing" he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, and handed me $10. "Happy Birthday, Chuck." He winked at me and walked out of the room. Great, that's about two bucks worth of penny candies, a pack of cigarettes and the newest addition to Playboy. I would just tell Uncle Bill I spent them on comics, that's all he needed to know. Before I could even think of anything else, I had to go visit Tiffany.

Because her father was no longer a threat, I ran straight to her house and knocked on the door. For a minute, I thought it was Tiffany, but I quickly realized it wasn't, I used to think Tiffany was the prettiest girl I had ever seen, until I met her. She looked closer to my age, was pale like Tiffany, but had thick blonde hair and the nicest smile I had ever seen. "Hi." was all she said. "Hi" I said back when it was quiet for a minute I spoke up again. "My name is Chucky, I'm here for Tiffany. I'm her friend" She laughed a little bit. "Ah, so you're her pond friend. My name is Rachel, her sister." I gotta admit, I was definitely turned on by Rachel. She was built just like a woman, and just everything about her made me feel like I've never felt before, it shocked the shit out of me when she asked "Have you ever been with a woman before, Chucky?" She was shifting her weight from one foot to another playfully and moved her hair out of the way of her shirt collar, so I could see just how much of a woman she was. Before I could answer or attempt to even cover my pants, Tiffany ran up to the door. "Bye Rachel. Chucky!" my attention shifted completely from Rachel to Tiffany. For the first time ever, Tiffany didn't have a dark ring around her eye. She looked great and seemed less nervous than she was before, she seemed happy. We spent all day together, talked about both our father's, and how happy everybody in her house now was, and how I was happy to be in Chicago since all the shit that happened with being expelled, and how I couldn't stand the very thought of living alone with my mother much longer. When it got dark, I said goodbye, and it was so much easier. Because I knew there was tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after and so on.

I got home later than my father would have liked if he were still around. Worse comes to worse, I get dirty looks from my mother. But then again, all her looks were dirty. Surprisingly, they were already both in bed. I went upstairs, and to my horror I saw my mother leave Uncle Bill's bedroom wearing nothing but a bathrobe and a huge fucking smile. She saw me and her smile disappeared instantly. "Charles" was all she said. "Keeping Uncle Bill warm at night, huh Ma?" I was clenching my fists, and noticed how bare her neck was. "What do you care? Stay out of my life" She tried to move herself out of my way to get down the stairs. "Let me help you, Ma." I then pushed her down, watched her tumble, then pounced on her. "You stupid bitch, you filthy slut! I know you're fucking him! You've always fucked him! You never loved my father, you fucking despicable human!" I knew this was the perfect moment to finish what I started with Johnny Mathis. I wrapped my hands around her neck and squeezed and hit her head against the floor. "I never loved you!" she cried between struggling for air. Ii laughed as I watched her fight for her life. "Die bitch, die!" Her eyes glazed over, and she was gone. I felt like I did the world, and myself a huge favour. I went to the washroom, washed my face then went to bed. I laid in bed and thought of superheroes, and how they all have cool names. I knew I needed a name. I was my own hero. I strangled evil right here in Chicago, on 47 Lakeshore road. The Lakeshore Strangler. Sounded like something people would remember. I slept really well that night.

I woke up the next morning and found police officers standing at the end of my bed. "Charles Lee Ray, you're under arrest for the murder of Marsha Ray, you have the right to remain silent" and I kind of just drowned out the rest. I just laughed the whole drive in the back of that car. As if I'm really terrified of prison, yeah right...


	4. Chapter 4

March 18th, 1969

"Well Happy Birthday Chuck, you lucky motherfucker!" Eddie said as he punched my shoulder and plopped down on the bunk next to me. Eddie Caputo was my cell mate and assumed to be closest friend, well as close of a friend as a con could be. He was the only other kid in our group that killed somebody. Nobody fucked with me and Eddie, ever.

I looked up and shot him a smile. "Don't worry Caputo" I started as I switched from my prison shoes to my regular loafers. "In a few short months you'll turn 20 and they'll get your crazy ass out of here too. Hell, the best decision I ever made in my life was kill my mom as a minor, that bitch isn't worth a life sentence." I realized I probably said too much as I looked at Eddie and saw a look of slight fear in his eyes that couldn't help but annoy me. "Don't give me that look, Caputo. You're no better than me." Eddie shook his head and laughed. "We're just two sickos." Eddie jumped slightly at the sound of a club hitting the bars of our cell.

"Hey Ray, Caputo! Quit your ass fucking!" Norris yelled from the other side of the bars. Norris was a fresh faced asshole from police school, who always had it in for me for some reason. I always imagined how nice it would be to shut him up permanently too. Norris looked over at Eddie and laughed "Today's a sad day for you, isn't it Caputo? Your piece of ass is leaving the big house." Eddie looked up at him and I could tell he was biting his tongue not to say anything. I turned to look at Norris "At least he has you to keep him company, Michael" Norris reached his hand through the bars and pulled my shirt collar close to him. "You listen to me you prick. I don't like you, and you better count your blessings this is a place for juveniles, but you will be back in a cage. As long as I'm protecting Illinois you will be behind bars. That's a promise." Norris let me go and I fell to the side a little. Norris opened the door to our cell "Now say your goodbyes. You're free, for now." I shot a wink at Eddie and he smiled back. As I exited those prison doors, all I could think of was Tiffany and how I hoped with everything in me that her sister still lived there.

"You look good Tiff, you really do" I told her as we took a seat on the rock at the pond we grew up by. I wasn't lying, for a kid her age, Tiffany looked great. A little on the chunky side, but it fit her well with a set of legs that seemed to go on forever. "What are you gonna do now, Chucky? You can't get a job, your uncle won't take you back. You're not gonna go back to New Jersey are you?" Tiffany asked me looking worried. I shook my head as I skipped a stone on the water. "Nah, I'm thinking I'm gonna move into the city. See what that offers." Before I had time to even blink Tiffany was on my lap and pulled me in for a kiss.

"Jesus, Tiff what the hell are you doing?" I pushed her off. "Chucky let's stop pretending! Let's just go and live our life, run away together!" Tiffany got to her knees and pleaded. I've never seen her look so desperate. Yeah, I cared for Tiffany, but she was just a kid. "Tiffany, you don't know what you're asking for! I'm 20 and you're what 15?" Tiffany broke down crying, which I admit I did feel guilty for. "I've loved you my whole life Chucky." I stared at her for a few minutes, I never thought Tiff to be the clingy type. "I'm sorry, Tiff" I couldn't stay there and watch her. So maybe it makes me an asshole, but I left. I could hear her fall to the ground and cry in hysterics, so I ran faster. I didn't have a home, so I ran on to the city bus and straight for downtown Chicago.

I couldn't help but feel excitement here. The lights, the nightlife, everything. I walked down the streets feeling invincible, here I wasn't Chucky. I was the Lakeshore Strangler. My string of malicious fantasy was quickly disrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hey there, stranger!" I turned around to see Rachel, Tiffany's older sister standing behind me. I could hardly speak. She looked exquisite in her tight black dress hugging her curves in all the right places. The long legs must have been a shared gene as Rachel also sported a set that complimented her fishnet stockings extraordinarily. Rachel looked at me slightly confused as to why I probably haven't said anything. "Chucky right?" she asked. I just nodded in agreement. I thought I was in love.

Rachel pushed her blonde hair away from her shoulders, to expose the amazing set of tits she had. Just like when I first met her. "Do you have a light?" She asked me as she put a cigarette between her lips. I pulled out my matches, lit one then lit up her cigarette all while keeping eye contact with her the whole time. "Thanks sweetface" she started. She crossed her arms to her chest and took another drag from her cigarette. "So you and Tiffany, are you a thing?" without any hesitation I denied. "No, I'm looking for somebody a little more grown up." I hoped to God that would release the hint that I spent all my teen years in prison with my back to my cell mate jerking off dreaming about the moment I'd get laid. Rachel just smiled at me. "I hear you spent the last five years in jail." Fuck, that was a deal breaker I'm sure. I looked to the ground as I nodded my head. She put her hand under my chin and lifted my head up. "I like a bad boy." I tried my best to hide the hard on I undoubtedly had, Rachel was a whole other level of sexy. She crossed her arms over her chest and shivered a little. "Christ, I'm freezing. Wanna take me home?" Boy did I ever.

We got to the tiny house that I've been to to pick up Tiffany hundreds of times over the years, and Rachel dragged me inside. She put her fingers over my lips to signal me to be quiet and she pulled me into her tiny bedroom, and pushed me onto her bed. She rolled her stockings down her legs than straddled me. "Put your hands on me" She said as she began to pull her dress off over her head. I ran my hands all over her, she was like a work of art. I couldn't take my eyes off her stunning blue ones for a second. "Is something wrong? You keep staring" she asked as she ran her hair away from her face. I shook my head slowly. "No, you're just the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Rachel smiled quickly before going down to kiss me passionately as she worked her hands to the belt of my pants. The second her hand touched my dick it sent a spark through my entire body. I can't even describe the feeling I felt when she mounted on it. I can't tell you if it lasted a minute or an hour, but it was the most exhilarating thing I'd ever experienced. Rachel kissed me one last time before laying next to me. "You were a virgin weren't you?" My heart sank "Shit, it was that obvious?" she laughed as she lit another cigarette. "It's just that men who fuck a lot of girls don't tell them they're beautiful." I looked at her as she stared at the ceiling smoking her cigarette. I drifted off to sleep finally feeling like I knew what I wanted with myself.

Before I was even awake, I could feel Rachel straddle me again. Honestly, I didn't think I was gonna be lucky enough for morning sex. I didn't even think I'd get to spend the full night. I opened my eyes with a smile on my face, only to be shocked when it wasn't Rachel on me, but Tiffany. "What the fuck?" I cried out, Tiffany was covered in blood and had pieces of blonde hair stuck on her head. Scared shitless, I turned my head to see Rachel, laying there dead covered in stab wounds with her hair hacked off. I turned back to Tiffany who was crying on top of me. "Do you love me now, Chucky?"


End file.
